Horse, with Other Animals and Ornaments

"Horse, with Other Animals and Ornaments," created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903 between 1899 and 1900, is a highly stylized wood-block print. This work exemplifies Gauguin's late-career exploration of the print medium, utilizing black ink on cream wove paper to achieve a raw, expressive quality characteristic of his Symbolist tendencies. Gauguin’s technique involved carving directly into the wooden matrix, resulting in bold, simplified forms and strong contrasts that emphasize texture over traditional draftsmanship.

Created while the artist was primarily based in the South Pacific, this piece reflects the complex visual vocabulary Gauguin developed after leaving France. Although culturally categorized within the French avant-garde tradition, the imagery blends European Post-Impressionist formalism with motifs derived from indigenous Polynesian art and mythology, visible in the heavy ornamentation surrounding the central equine figure. The presence of the horse, alongside other animals and abstract decorative elements, suggests Gauguin’s enduring interest in primal energy and spiritual symbolism rather than pure naturalistic representation.

Gauguin often reworked his thematic ideas across different mediums, but his graphic production, particularly these powerful woodcuts from 1899-1900, stands as a critical achievement. These unique prints were pivotal in bridging the Symbolist movement with the emerging Expressionism of the early twentieth century. This significant impression of Horse, with Other Animals and Ornaments resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.